It is known in the art to use an elongated adapter to attach a ground penetrating point to a shank of a farm implement. One end of the adapter slips into a socket of the point and is pinned at that location, while the upper, opposite end of the adapter is bolted to the shank at a pair of longitudinally spaced locations. Nuts are threaded onto the ends of the bolts to tightly couple the adapter with the shank. Typically, because different manufacturers provide different bolt spacings on their shanks, a number of different adapters are provided, each having a bolt hole spacing matching a certain spacing on a particular manufacturer's shank. Furthermore, the heads of the bolts on prior adapters are located at the leading, soil-engaging faces of the adapters so as to be exposed to the abrasive action of the soil at that location, leading to premature wear.
Prior adapters could be quite easily and securely fastened to shanks having the corresponding bolt hole spacings. Furthermore, the exposed bolt heads of the prior adapters provided for easy insertion and removal of the bolts from the adapters.
However, the prior adapters also possess a number of problems or shortcomings. For example, the fixed spacing between the attachment bolts prevents attachment of the adapters onto shanks having bolt hole spacings differing from the adapter, and, therefore, limit use of the adapter to only a certain number of farm implements and their shanks. Furthermore, the exposed bolt heads of prior adapters experience substantial wear, due to ground abrasion as the point is drawn forwardly through the ground by the farm implement, thereby risking premature failure of the bolts and uncoupling of the adapter from the shank.
Consequently, a need exists for improvements in shank mounting assemblies for soil opening points which will permit mounting of the adapters onto shanks having various bolt hole spacings and which will protect the bolt heads from ground abrasion as the point is drawn forwardly through the ground by the implement.